Freshman Kobe King understands he must turn passivity into aggression to help UW

Wisconsin's Kobe King (right) struggled a bit against Ohio State on Sunday, finishing with two points, two rebounds and two assists.(Photo: Paul Vernon, Associated Press)

CHICAGO – Khalil Iverson doesn’t have a reputation for making grandiose predictions.

Yet the Wisconsin senior offered one recently when asked to project the type of player freshman Kobe King could become.

“Unstoppable,” Iverson said. “Whenever he comes in for me I tell him: ‘Kobe, when you get the ball you shoot it. You shoot it every time.’

“That is how I want him to be. You get the ball, you attack.”

King, limited to 10 games last season because of a knee injury suffered in practice, has the physical tools to score from the perimeter, mid-range or in the lane.

Yet the 6-foot-4, 203-pound redshirt freshman has followed up games in which he was the aggressor with bouts of curiously tentative play.

A confident, consistently aggressive King could help UW in the Big Ten tournament and the NCAA Tournament.

Fourth-seeded UW (22-9) opens the Big Ten tournament at approximately 2 p.m. Friday (BTN) at the United Center against 13th-seeded Nebraska (18-15).

King enters postseason play averaging 4.1 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. His three-point shooting has dropped to 31.8 percent, thanks to a 1-for-13 mark in the last nine games, and he is shooting 44.4 percent overall.

The UW coaches have implored King, who was slow to come back from the knee injury that derailed his progress, to be more assertive.

“He will say he’d rather see me make an aggressive mistake than just floating out there,” King said, referring to assistant Joe Krabbenhoft. “Hopefully it will get to the point where I don’t need them to say anything.”

After seeing King average 16.0 points and 6.0 rebounds as a sophomore, Fergot had a blunt conversation with King. He told King that by his senior season he would be the best player in the state and be named Mr. Basketball.

“I remember him saying: ‘Coach, what is that?’ ” Fergot said.

King recalls the conversation.

“I was just worried about playing,” he said. “I knew – not in a cocky way – that I could get my baskets so I would try to get other guys a touch.

“As I got older I naturally became more aggressive but I was never the guy taking 30 shots a game, even with coaches telling me I could shoot whenever I want. I was trying to make the right play and take smart shots.”

King broke through as a junior when he averaged 25.5 points and 10.0 rebounds. He led Central to the WIAA Division 2 state title as a senior when he averaged 28.0 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists. He shot 45 percent from three-point range and 61 percent overall.

He capped his senior season by scoring 21 of his 28 points in the second half to lead Central to a 55-53 victory over Cedarburg in the title game.

Not surprisingly, he was named the state’s Mr. Basketball.

“When he punched through, he took off for us,” Fergot said. “There is no doubt that once he punches through at Wisconsin that he is going to take off and do some outstanding things.”

King has ridden a metaphorical roller-coaster this season.

He appeared confident and aggressive and contributed six points and five rebounds in UW’s home victory over Michigan on Jan. 19.

Four days later at Illinois, he appeared tentative and contributed two rebounds, one assist and two turnovers in 15 minutes. He didn’t attempt a shot.

He had nine critical points in UW’s 61-57 victory over Penn State on March 2 but he then missed all three shots in a victory over Iowa.

He played 19 minutes in the victory over Ohio State in the regular-season finale. King struggled a bit on defense, launched an air-ball on an open three-pointer and finished with two points, two rebounds and two assists.

“What I’ve learned is you can’t force-feed it, especially with younger guys like Kobe,” UW coach Greg Gard said. “It has to come (naturally) and he’s got to get there where he is comfortable all the time.

“Just consistently be aggressive and trust your preparation and what makes you a good player.”